Collin Morikawa is a name that stood out in the top 10, eight times in the last 16 starts. With these stats, everyone was hopeful for his Sentry win. But unfortunately, he was left behind by just a rank once again! Last year, Morikawa finished second to Scottie Scheffler in the FedExCup, but the absence of a victory left a bitter taste in his mouth regarding his 2024 campaign.

“I didn’t win. For me, it was a solid year, but it comes down to the wins, and that’s what we’re focused on,” Morikawa then noted. Morikawa would have wanted to win in Hawaii, given his deep connection with the place. The pro’s father’s family is from Lahaina, and his grandparents owned the “Morikawa Restaurant” there. But Hideki Matsuyama’s 35-under-par stole the show. 

But the 27-year-old chose to move ahead with a positive mindset. When asked by an interviewer “What is something you’re optimistic about from this week?” He said, “Just the way I played.” Of course, he was not happy about not winning, but he was not sad too! Morikawa said he felt good about his game from the very first day at the Sentry. And why not?

The pro kicked off the event with a solid 66 that featured seven birdies without a single bogey. And in the second round, he maintained the same momentum and did it again! An 8 under par with nine birdies and just one bogey. “It’s hard to do that sometimes,” the professional revealed during the post-tour press conference. “Especially it’s hard to do it out here when you got wide fairways, you know you can kind of cruise into maybe a 5-, 6-under and get the year started,” he continued.

But the golfer has come up with a sportsman mindset this year. It was more evident as he put in, “I came out here trying to be ready for golf, and I’m going to try and do that for every event out there, I don’t care if it’s my third, fourth week in a row, first week after whatever, you know, that’s going to be the mentality for the entire year.” For Collin Morikawa, success tastes better when you work for it and not when it just flies to you because of luck. And to achieve that, the PGA Tour pro makes sure he does the work.

Collin Morikawa is aiming for a 2025 win with his new pre-shot routine

Collin Morikawa’s experience at the Sentry didn’t exactly go as planned, and you can tell he’s itching to get back into the winner’s circle. But the good news? He’s been putting in the work to make that happen this year. You might have noticed something different about his game lately, and that’s all thanks to his revamped pre-shot routine. After taking a two-month offseason to tinker and experiment, he’s come up with a new approach that he believes could be the secret sauce to his success in 2025.

So, what’s this new routine all about? Well, Collin has started to mimic his impact position right before he swings. By slightly opening his left hip and driving his right knee toward the ball, he’s tapping into techniques used by legends, like Sam Snead. His goal is to optimize his alignment and body mechanics. As per golf.com, the pro said, “Just kind of allowing the body to get to where it needs to be in the shot.” And it seems to be paying off!

This isn’t just a quick fix, it’s been a solid adjustment he’s really committed to. The change came after a tough 2023 and 2024 season, where the professional struggled without any wins and dealt with a back injury that kept him from rotating properly. Now, with this new adjustment, he’s able to rotate his hips more effectively, which helps his upper body follow through at impact. “For me, it’s turn hard and hold the face,” he explained.

Last year Morikawa’s highlights were good for sure, but he felt like he was missing that pinpoint precision that lets him “throw darts” on the course. Now he’s slowly getting back to that level, which is fantastic to hear. This week as he secured T2 at The Sentry, it’s clear he’s rediscovered that keen edge he thrives on. With the new changes and mindset, fans are excited to see how many titles Collin Morikawa can snag this season. What do you all think? How many wins do you see him clinching?